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Author Notes:My motivation to cook is often an attempt to recreate my favourite restaurants meals, and with a crowd to feed on a Friday night, the inspiration of Bodean's Pulled Pork Baps came to mind.
I slow-roasted the pork in quite a traditional way, jazzing up my incarnation with apple-laced slaw and a barbeque sauce heavy in vinegar, slowly reduced down for that smoky flavour with a strong tangy kick.
I like to serve this piled up in floury bread baps, but it could make a meal without the bread, maybe served with a baked sweet potato. The pork will feed 6-8, with plenty sauce left to keep in jars in the fridge for up to a month. —AmyLynam

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Serves: 6-8

For the Pork and Slaw

3kg
Pork Shoulder Joint, bone in

2
tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2
tablespoon Smoked Paprika

1
Dried Ancho Chile

2
Cloves of Garlic

1
tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar

1/2
Red Cabbage, Shredded

2
Carrots, peeled and grated

2
Sticks of Celery, finely sliced

1/2
Red Onion, finely sliced

1
Apple, such as Braeburn/ Granny Smith, peeled and grated

2
tablespoons Mayonnaise

4
tablespoons Buttermilk

2-3
tablespoons Cider Vinegar

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Bread Baps, to serve

For the BBQ Sauce

1
White Onion, diced

4
Cloves of Garlic, finely grated

1
tablespoon Olive Oil

1
tablespoon Mustard Seeds, ground to powder

500
milliliters Tomato Ketchup, I used Heinz

150
milliliters Cider Vinegar

8
tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar

3
tablespoons Honey

1
tablespoon Smoked Paprika

1
Dried Chipotle Chilli

2
tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce

2
tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1
tablespoon Cayenne Pepper

Preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Line a roasting tin with tin foil and place the roasting joint in it. If your butcher has not already scored the crackling skin, do so with a sharp knife, with lines 1cm apart. Drizzle the olive oil over the meat, sprinkling the paprika with some salt and pepper over. Rub the mixture into the meat, coating all over and into the crevices. Cut the garlic cloves in half and rub over the meat, before pushing the pieces into gaps in the meat and underneath during cooking. After soaking the dried ancho chile in hot water until soft, rub it over the meat, massaging the flavours in. Pop it into the oven for half an hour at the high heat for the crackling to crispen. Remove from the heat and turn the oven down to 170 degrees Celsius. Take what cooking juices have come from the meat and place in a saucepan with the sugar. Stir on a high heat until the sugar has melted and pour over the meat. Cover the joint with tin foil and return to the oven. Continue to cook for 5 hours, occasionally basting the meat, making sure to always cover with tin foil before returning to the oven.

While the meat is cooking, make the barbecue sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, tossing in the onions and garlic with some salt, before reducing to a low heat. Cook until the onions become translucent. Add the ground mustard seeds and cook for one minute to gain fragrance. Next, add three tablespoons on the sugar, allow to caramelise for a moment, before adding the ketchup and vinegar. The sharp aroma of the vinegar will hit the back of the nose with a punch, so stand back.

Bring the heat down to let the mixture simmer, and stir in the paprika, cayenne pepper, two tablespoons of the honey and the chipotle chilli. Allow the mixture to simmer for a further ten minutes to cook off some of the vinegar. Add another three tablespoons of sugar, all of the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Keep on a low heat for another twenty minutes, by which time the sauce should have thickened and darkened, the vinegar now a pleasant undertone when tasted. The rest of the honey and sugar should be added to taste, as the taste of the sauce depends on the quality of ketchup and vinegar used. Set aside and allow to cool before pouring into jars. It will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

Next, prepare the coleslaw. Put the cabbage, onion, celery, apple and carrot into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk and two tablespoons of the vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper, before adding to the vegetable mixture. Stir to combine, and taste. Depending on the sweetness of your apple, you may add the extra tablespoon of cider vinegar. Chill in the fridge until serving.

After five hours of cooking and basting, take the pork from the oven. Remove the foil from the meat and return to the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius to crispen the crackling. Remove from the oven and allow to rest, tin foil replaced, for 15 minutes. This will moisten the meat, making it easier to pull apart. Remove the crackling and serve separately. Pull the meat apart, shredding with two forks, putting pieces of fat to the side.

Slice the bread baps in half and toast under the grill. Pile the meat in a large serving dish and serve on the table, letting your group serve themselves and pile those baps high!